Ohio man helps same stranger twice within eight years

OHIO -- A stranger came to the aid of a man in Ohio who was stopped on the side of the road -- and then had a case of deja vu.

Saturday evening, September 8th around 11:00 p.m., Christopher Manacci was driving along Washington Street in Auburn Township when he saw a van with a flat tire pulling a fishing boat creeping along the side of the road.

"I dropped my wife off and decided that I'd bring him a can of Fix-a-Flat for his tire so he could make it to a gas station," Manacci said.

Manacci said he pulled his Lexus up behind the disabled van, and parked on the grass with his hazard lights on. He says the people in the van -- a man and his 15-year-old son, were standing outside. Manacci said he got out of his car and he was off to the side when it happened.

"A truck that we didn't actually even see coming was moving at a very high rate of speed, and struck my car, and then the truck became airborne and crashed about three feet beyond where he was standing, him and his son," Manacci said.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the driver of the truck was drunk and was taken to the hospital. No one else was hurt.

Manacci, who is a nurse practitioner, says later on, the van's driver told him eight years ago he was helped by a stranger with the same profession.

"He said, 'I had a very bad injury to my hand from a very large fish hook, and this nurse practitioner kayaks up and removes the hook out of my hand and was able to let me go on with my day.' And I said, 'Yes, I know that story well.' He says, 'You do?' I said, 'Yes, it was me,'" Manacci said.

Manacci said he sees it as a blessing.

"You just never know what the day brings you and you never know what small thing you are going to do that will result in a miracle," Manacci said.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says the truck driver was charged with Operating a Vehicle Impaired.